Digitarians?

The idea of simplifying one’s life was touched on in the last issue of T.O.F.U. by Amanda Rogers when she spoke of the beauty found in avoiding buying everything new and looking to renew the life of various things other’s had discarded. Of course, this article suggests that with the advent of the digital age one can take it a step further, and many people seem to be doing just that.

The interesting branch to veganism came to me when I started reading about the more futuristic idea of storing one’s mind on a digital medium. The theoretical suggestion that at some point one would be able to exist solely as 1s and 0s next to your HD version of the Matrix and your Godspeed You Black Emperor catalogue seems crazy, but a lot of things often appear that way years before they happen.

So, if you accept the idea that one day we can shed our need for a body and move our thoughts to something that fits in your current pants pocket, does that mean there could someday be digitarians? Those who live solely off of electrical energy to survive, and green energy at that. Those who do not need to consume physical things such as animal or plant products. Those who do not require clothing, transportation, water, etc… In essence, a nearly perfect environmentalist with a zero carbon footprint.

Which presents me with the question: How would you rationalize being a vegan with a body to a digitarian?